. 


Russia’s  Evangelization 

A  Record  of  Missionary  Experience 
and  Organization  Work 

% 

•*  \ 

by 

REV.  N.  F.  HOIJER 

¥ 

For  Forty  Years  engaged  in  Evangelization  work 
Under  3  Czars  in  different  parts  of  Russia 

Compiled  and  translated  from  the  Original  Swedish 

and  edited  by 

PROF.  M.  A.  de  SHERBININ 

— •  of  the  Chicago  Tract  Society 

\  ( 

With  Foreword  by 
REV.  JESSE  W.  BROOKS,  Ph.  D. 

%% 

CHICAGO  1918 
THE  OAK  PRINTING  CO. 


Russia’s  Evangelization 

A  Record  of  Missionary  Experience 
and  Organization  Work 


by 


REV.  N.  F.  HOIJER 


For  Forty  Years  engaged  in  Evangelization  work 
Under  3  Czars  in  different  parts  of  Russia 


Compiled  and  translated  from  the  Original  Swedish 

and  edited  by 

PROF.  M.  A.  de  SHERBININ 

of  the  Chicago  Tract  Society 


With  Foreword  by 
REV.  JESSE  W.  BROOKS,  Ph.  D. 


CHICAGO  1918 
THE  OAK  PRINTING  CO. 


FOREWORD 


In  connection  with  the  organization  of  the  First  General 
Conference  for  the  Evangelization  of  Russia,  I  have  for 
several  months  been  intimately  associated  with  the  Rev. 
N.  F.  Hoijer,  who  has  in  this  Conference  been  introduced 
for  the  first  time  to  thousands  of  English  speaking  Amer¬ 
icans.  Mr.  Hoijer ’s  work  hitherto  has  been  well  known 
among  our  Swedish  and  other  Scandinavian  brethren  and 
the  literature  pertaining  to  it  has  been  mostly  in  the 
Swedish  language. 

On  account  of  the  large  part  he  has  taken  in  the 
pioneer  work  of  Russian  Evangelization  during  the  past 
forty  years  certainly  the  time  is  now  come  when  English 
readers  should  know  more  of  the  irenic  spirit  and  of  the 
high  ideals  that  have  characterized  his  life  work. 

The  narrative  given  on  the  following  pages  is  some¬ 
what  fragmentary  but  it  may  serve  to  introduce  to  Amer¬ 
ican  Christians  a  faithful  missionary  who  is  greatly  beloved 
by  all  his  associates  and  who  has  been  one  of  the  missionary 
pioneers  of  a  great  missionary  century.  That  this  may  be 
so  is  the  prayer  of  many  of  his  friends  who  are  now 
looking  forward  with  faith  and  hope  for  the  Evangelization 
of  Russia’s  millions. 


Jesse.  W.  Brooks. 


It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  people  of  Russia  had 
no  part  in  the  renaissance  and  no  share  in  the  fruit  of  the 
Protestant  reformation,  which  were  such  mighty  factors  in 
the  development  of  the  religious  life  of  the  rest  of  Europe. 

The  last  few  decades  however  have  witnessed  the  begin¬ 
nings  of  spiritual  revival  among  the  Russians,  and  already 
the  Gospel  has  gained  large  victories  in  several  places,  such 
as  could  not  be  checked  even  by  the  bitter  persecutions, 
which  were  started  by  the  State  Church  and  backed  up  by 
the  secular  powers  over  the  so  called  “sectarians,”  and 
already  in  p^ces  there  has  been  manifest  the  powerful  mov¬ 
ing  of  God’s  Spirit  in  cities  and  hamlets  over  the  Tundras 
of  Siberia,  as  well  as  the  Steppes  of  South  Russia.  One  of 
the  vital  things  in  this  Evangelical  movement  was  a  careful 
plan  of  organization,  which  had  for  its  aim  to  deepen  the 
work  and  also  to  link  together  the  small  Evangelical  Con¬ 
gregations  for  a  united  effort  in  spreading  the  Gospel.  In 

* 

this  work  the  few  Russian  Evangelical  Christians  have  been 
encouraged  and  assisted  from  abroad,  especially  through  the 
efforts  of  a  well  known  Swedish  Missionary,  N.  F.  Hoijer, 
whose  life  since  1880  has  been  devoted  entirely  to  the  service 
of  the  Russian  Evangelical  Mission.  In  the  work  of  organiz¬ 
ation  it  has  been  insisted  by  Mr.  Hoijer  that  the  main  part 
of  the  missionary  work  in  Russia  should  be  carried  on  by  the 
Russian  people  themselves.  The  work  may  be  aided  and 
assisted  and  supported  largely  from  abroad  by  Churches 
of  countries,  where  the  Gospel  has  already  taken  root,  yet  it 
must  be  in  such  a  way  that  the  Russian  Evangelical  Churches 
be  themselves  responsible  for  the  support  of  the  work  of  the 
Evangelists. 


3 


Lord  Radstock  with  his  two  associates  in  the  Russian  Gospel 
Work — Col.  Basil  Paschkof  and  Count  Modest  Korff. 


4 


The  first  attempt  to  unite  on  a  larger  scale,  the  Evangel¬ 
icals  in  Russia  in  a  large  and  co-operative  way  in  the  ad¬ 
vancement  of  God’s  Kingdom,  was  made  in  1884.  A  Con¬ 
ference  was  called  in  St.  Petersburg.  The  invitation  to  at¬ 
tend  this  was  sent  by  two  Russian  noblemen,  viz.  Count 
Modest  Ivorff  and  Colonel  Basil  Pashkof.  These  two  leading 
men  were  soon  after  this  exiled  by  the  government  for  the 
Gospel’s  sake.  A  detailed  account  of  this  missionary  con¬ 
ference  is  given  in  Swedish  in- the  volume  entitled  “Twenty- 
five  Years  in  Russia,”  pages  113  to  120.  Two  men  who 
had  been  partaking  in  this  conference  of  1884  are  now 
present  with  us  at  the  Chicago  Conference  of  1918.  The 
names  of  these  two  men  are  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  and  Prof.  M. 
A.  de  Sherbinin.  The  Manifesto  calling  the  Conference  con¬ 
tained  these  significant  words : 

“Remember,  brethren,  that  Christ  died,  that  he  might 
gather  together  in  one  the  children  of  God,  that  were  scat¬ 
tered  abroad  and  present  them  as  one  flock  with  one  shep¬ 
herd.  Now  may  the  Lord  gather  us  around  him  to  teach  us 
to  keep  the  bond  of  unity  and  peace.” 

Surely  this  Conference  at  St.  Petersburg  which  was  at¬ 
tended  by  delegates  from  the  different  bodies  of  Evangelical 
Christians  from  several  parts  of  Russia  contributed  to  the 
strengthening  of  the  bond  of  mutual  love  and  organic  union. 
The  delegates  were  edified  and  strengthened  in  their  most 
holy  faith,  and  they  conferred  regarding  methods  for  carry¬ 
ing  on  the  work.  But  their  adversaries  Avere  not  sleeping. 
The  Conference  lasted  only  a  few  days.  The  work  had  to  be 
carried  on  largely  in  secret.  The  delegates  were  gathered 
in  the  homes  of  some  of  the  leading  people  and  wealthy 
Christian  men,  but  suddenly  spies  Avere  on  their  track  and 
the  delegates  Avere  all  arrested.  Somd  were  imprisoned  and 
some  Avere  exiled.  Count  Korff  and  Colonel  Pashkof  Avere 
ordered  to  leave  Russia  within  two  or  three  days  after  the 
order  for  their  deportation  had  been  issued  by  the  Czar. 
This  Avas  in  1884  and  it  is  to  be  noted  that  during  the  twenty- 
five  years  following  among  the  numerous  exiles  to  Siberia 
Giere  were  more  than  a  thousand,  Avho  Avere  banished  because 
of  their  activity  in  propagating  the  Gospel.  These  were  in¬ 
deed  dark  days  for  the  Gospel  movement  in  Russia,  and  it 


5 


eiiecked  all  efforts  towards  effecting  any  organization,  how¬ 
ever  simple,  among  the  Evangelical  Christians. 

However,  soon  after  this,  we  find  one  of  the  active  mem¬ 
bers  of  this  Conference;  Missionary  Hoijer,  in  the  Caucasus 
faithfully  preaching  the  Gospel  and  at  the  same  time  trying 
to  unite  the  believers  and  persuade  them  to  draw  closer  to 


Sarkis  Hambarsumoff. 


each  other  in  order  to  do  successful  work.  Upon  his  initia¬ 
tive  a  mission  covenant  was  founded,  with  Tiflis  the  capital 
of  the  Caucasus,  as  headquarters.  This  was  known  under  the 
name  of  the  Oriental  Evangelical  Alliance. 

Its  first  president  was  a  veteran  missionary  Sarkis 
Hambarsumoff.  After  him  Mr.  N.  F.  Hoijer  was  the 


leader  of  this  movement  for  many  years  until  1890  when 
he  was  compelled  to  leave  this  province.  This  Oriental 
Evangelical  Alliance  not  only  consisted  of  several  Evangelical 
Congregations  but  comprised  believers  representing  several 
nations  among  whom  the  Armenians  were  very  prominent. 
Hoijer  himself  had  made  missionary  journeys  into  Central 
Asia,  through  Persia,  Turkey,  Turkestan,  and  the  Fergan 
region,  east  of  the  Caspian  Sea.  He  extended  his  travels 
even  to  the  Chinese  Empire.  He  was  not  only  an  organizer 


Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  and  Vassili  Nicolayevich  Evanoff. 

of  Evangelical  Churches  but  also  served  als  an  opener  of  the 
trail  and  a  promoter  of  missionary  enterprise.  Among  the 
ministers,-  who  took  part  in  this  Alliance,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  was  Sembat  Bagdasarian  who  took  a  leading 
part  and  through  whom  the  Alliance  came  in  contact  with 
the  Molokans  of  South  Russia.  These  people  are  in  some 


7 


respects  like  our  Quakers,  they  have  the  Bible  but  not  the 
Sacraments.  They  are  very  peculiar  people  and  at  that  early 
time  they  were  visited  by  an  Evangelical  revival.  Mr.  Hoijer, 
during  his  missionary  journeys,  made  the  acquaintance  of  an 
activel  Christian  Minister  , Evanoff  in  Kharkow.  Evanoff  is 
now  departed  to  be  with  the  Lord,  but  he  was  a  hero  in  the 
Gospel  of  Christ,  as  *is  testified  by  Hoijer,  who  loved  him, 
as  a  most  intimate  friend.  Often  these  two  men  combined 
their  efforts  in  cases,  where  there  were  many  sufferers  to 
be  helped  or  where  there  were  many  in  danger  of  being  ban¬ 
ished  or  undergoing  severe  punishment  because  they  had 
professed  their  Evangelical  faith.  Evanoff  himself  had  to 
serve  a  term  in  prison,  because  of  his  faith  and  he  endured 
the  ordeal  with  patience,  but  when  others  were  persecuted 
he  made  every  effort  to  secure  their  liberty  and  to  deliver 
them  from  unjust  judgment.  This  is  why  the  minister  and 
friend  of  missions  Prochanoff  of  St.  Petersburg  who  was 
one  of  the  chairmen  of  ■  the  World’s  Baptist  Conference, 
in  an  article  written  to  a  missionary  paper  gives  such  testi¬ 
mony  to  the  labors  of  Evanoff. 

He  declares  that  among  all  Christian  workers  whom  he 
knew  brother  Evanoff  was  the  most  unselfish  and  the  most 
unsectarian.  How  unselfish  he  really  was  and  how  self  de¬ 
nying  for  the  cause  of  missions,  is  illustrated  in  an  incident 
which  happened  at  the  missionary  conference  in  Taurida  in 
1907.  Although  at  that  time  in  delicate  physical  health,  he 
was  a  warm  supporter  of  the  Conference.  A  German  brother 
who  was  present  as  delegate  and  who  had  heard  of  the  con¬ 
dition  of  Evanoff,  desired  to  make  a  gift  of  one  hundred 
marks  for  his  personal  needs.  Evanoff ’s  health  was  already 
shattered  and  he  accepted  the  gift  with  gratitude,  but  very 
soon  after  when  a  collection  was  made  for  the  support  of 
missionaries  he  could  not  keep  his  bank  note  of  one  hundred 
marks  but  laid  it  on  the  collection  plate  with  other  offerings 
saying : 

“I  can  die  without  this,  but  now  they  need  it  for  the 
mission  work.” 

It  was  early  in  the  year  in  1902  that  Hoijer  came  with 
this  warm-hearted,  selfdenying  friend  of  missions  to  Kiev, 
Russia’s  Holy  City.  Mr.  Hoijer  was  then  representing  the 
Evangelical  Alliance  in  London.  At  that  time  there  already 


8 


\ 


/ 


insr*;  v* : 
& 


‘  ■;  ' 


The  Kiev  Committee. 


9 


existed  in  Kiev  a  little  evangelical  congregation.  When  these 
people  came  to  understand  the  need  of  unity  in  the  Church, 
and  when  they  also  got  hold  of  the  fact  that  a  good  organ¬ 
ization  was  necessary  in  order  to  secure  success  of  their  mis¬ 
sion,  much  interest  was  awakened  and  an  Evangelical  Com¬ 
mittee  was  formed,  which  at  once  resolved  to  get  into  com¬ 
munication  not  only  with  the  Evangelical  Churches  in  St. 
Petersburg,  Taurida  and  the  Caucasus,  but  also  with  Evan¬ 
gelical  bodies  in  other  places,  and  circulars  were  sent  out  to 
different  quarters,  pleading  for  the  Evangelicals  to  organize 
themselves  in  new  congregations  and  to  appoint  mission  com¬ 
mittees,  etc.  In  order,  as  was  stated  in  those  circulars : 

“To  work  in  the  unity  of  the  spirit  and  the  bond  of 
peace  for  a  better  understanding  and  for  unity  of  all  Evan¬ 
gelical  Christian  Churches  in  Russia  in  love  and  in  peace  in 
order  to  form  one  Russian  Evangelical  Free  Church.” 

The  aim  of  this  effort  was  expressed  as  follows: 

“According  to  the  will  of  Cod  to  come  to  the  aid  of  all 
who  suffer  for  Christ  and  for  the  faith  of  the  Gospel,  to 
assist  them  with  the  help  of  an  attorney  when  they  are 
summoned  before  a  court  for  their  faith  or  condemned  to 
prison  or  banishment ;  to  give  them  and  their  families 
material  relief  and  furthermore  to  endeavor  to  bring  about 
a  greater  harmony  and  union  between  the  Evangelical 
Churches  and  individuals  in  all  parts  of  Russia,  and  also 
to  make  for  them  easy  access  to  Evangelical  Christians 
in  Europe  and  America.” 

Rev.  Mr.  Hoijer  and  Mr.  Evanoff  were  appointed  mem¬ 
bers  of  this  committee  and  Hoijer  was  appointed  its  delegate 
to  bring  the  needs  of  the  Russian  Christians  to  the  attention 
of  believers  abroad.  The  credentials  that  were  given  him 
said : 

“We  beg  all  Christians  to  receive  TIoijer  as  oui  brother 
in  Christ  and  to  assist  him  by  all  that  is  in  your  power  in 
his  work  of  uniting  all  Christian  Congregations  in  Russia 
into  one  Evangelical  Free  Church;  to  give  him  every  oppor¬ 
tunity  for  his  work  and  to  invite  the  co-operation  of  all  the 
Christian  bodies  abroad.” 

This  remarkable  letter  is  dated  Feb.  11,  1902.  And  the 
same  month  the  Evangelical  Churches  of  Taurida,  Crimea 
and  the  Caucasus,  numbering  at  that  time  about  3,000,  were 


10 


ready  with  their  answer.  These  churches  are  essentially 
Presbyterian  and  they  were  formed  from  the  Molocan  popul- 
ation  by  Jacob  Deliakoff,  Presbyterian  pastor  and  a  Syrian! 
from  Oorumia,  Persia.  The  next  response  came  from  the 
St.  Petersburg  Congregation  where  the  proposition  had  been 
accepted  and  gratified  after  it  had  been  read  in  four  con¬ 
secutive  meetings.  The  St.  Petersburg  Congregation  gave 
complete  endorsement  to  the  proposition  and  the  believers 
;  in  St.  Petersburg  expressed  their  belief  in  the  need  of  closer 
union  in  order  to  help  those  that  were  persecuted  for  the  | 
'  Gospel,  and  those  who  were  in  prison  and  they  also  sug- 
!  gestcd  a  plan  for  collecting  means  to  this  end. 

After  such  organizations  had  been  called  to  life  in  dif¬ 
ferent  parts  of  Russia,  Hoijer  went  home  to  Sweden  in  order 
to  awaken  there  an  interest  in  the  Russian  Evangelical  Mis¬ 
sion,  according  to  the  commission  of  which  he  was  the  bearer. 
Before  leaving  Russia,  however,  he  agreed  with  Evanoff  and 
,  another  friend,  Stepanoff,  who  had  been  studying  for  the 
•  priesthood,  but  who  later  had  become  a  captain  in  the  Bul¬ 
garian  army,  that  they  should  work  each  in  his  region  for 
the  development  and  completion  of  the  work  of  organization.  I 
Evanoff  remained  in  Russia  and  Stepanoff  went  to  Germany, 
where  he  died  later  after  faithful  efforts  to  awaken  there  an 
interest  in  Gospel  work  in  Russia. 

Having  returned  to  Sweden  Mr.  Hoijer  traveled  much 
from  place  to  place,  awakening  an  interest  in  the  work  in 
Russia.  On  one  of  these  trips  he  met  at  Seffle  a  preacher 
C.  W.  Gillen  who  with  his  wife'  became  deeply  interested  in  i 
the  work  of  God  in  Russia.  This  interest  soon  deepened  into 
v  an  eager  desire  to  be  able  in  some  measure  to  contribute  to 
the  work.  After  a  time  spent  in  earnest  prayer  in  the  quiet 
hours  of  the  night,  both  Hoijer  and  Gillen  decided  to  go  to 
Stockholm  in  order  to  gain  more  friends  for  the  mission 
work  which  had  been  so  clearly  laid  upon  their  hearts.  There 
they  met  a  rich  merchant,  J.  W.  Wallin,  and  A.  P.  Larson, 
a  well  known  missionary  editor,  together  with  some  brethren 
from  Finland,  who  were  also  acquainted  with  Hoijer ’s  work. 
Among  these  were  K.  R.  Pousar,  a  merchant,  and  U.  Palmu, 
a  well  to  do  landlord,  both  at  that  time  residing  in  Stock¬ 
holm.  The  meeting  with  these  friends  resulted  in  the  calling 
of  a  larger  meeting  in  October  22,  1903,  when  it  was  resolved 


11 


mam 


■ 


The  Stockholm  Committee 


12 


to  fornij  a  committee  for  the  Evangelical  Mission  in  Russia. 
Mr.  Wallin  was  appointed  chairman,  and  held  this  position 
until  1912.  Rev.  Mr.  Hoijer  was  appointed  delegate  of  the 
committee  and  was  thus  given  the  opportunity  of  continuing 
his  work  of  organization  both  in  Russia  and  other  countries, 
where  ultimately  he  succeeded  in  organizing  committees  or 
in  interesting  friends  in  active  sympathy  and  support  of  the 
work  of  the  missionary  union  in  Russia. 

The  fundamental  principle  which  pervaded  all  this  move¬ 
ment  for  helping  the  Russian  Evangelical  Mission  is  this — 
to  assist  and  help  the  mission  organizations  already  existing 
in  Russia  for  the  sending  and  support  of  Evangelists  rather 
than  the  establishing  of  independent  missions  in  the  land. 
The  purpose  was  to  get  an  opportunity  abroad  for  the 
awakening  of  interest  in  the  missions  of  Russia  and  to  develop 
more  and  more  and  bring  out  in  the  believers  of  Russia  a 
constant  feeling  of  responsibility  for  the  Gospel  work,  as  a 
work  of  their  own  and  not  a  work  carried  on  by  some  foreign 
missionary  societies.  Mr.  Hoijer  came  back  to  Russia  in  the 
spring  1901,  representing  the  Swedish  Committee  in  Stock¬ 
holm.  He  worked  for  some  time  in  St.  Petersburg,  where 
a  committee  for  the  Evangelical  Mission  was  formed,  the 
object  being  to  send  out  and  to  support  Evangelists.  Leading 
members  of  this  Committee  were  Baron  Paul  Nicolay,  Colonel 
John  Offenberg,  Mr.  Maximovsky,  chief  of  all  the  prisons 
of  the  Empire,  Rev.  J.  Kargel  and  others.  The  organizing 
of  this  committee  and  its  very  first  resolution  regarding  the 
mode  of  sending  the  Evangelists  were  noteworthy,  for  at  the 
very  time,  when  as  stated  above,  Hoijer  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gillen  in  Seffle,  Sweden,  were  pleading  before  God  in 
prayer  for  the  Swedish  friends  and  for  knowledge  of  the 
best  way  for  them  to  take  part  in  the  mission  of  Russia, 
three  of  the  St.  Petersburg  brethren  were  praying  with 
equal  fervor  for  the  evangelization  of  Russia.  The  names 
of  these  three  brothers  were  Odintsoff,  Stepanoff  and 

Chlopoff.  They  prayed  especially  that  an  opportunity 
might  be  given  to  the  first  two  mentioned  to  devote  their 
lives  to  preaching  the  good  news  to  their  countrymen. 
When  the  above  committee  was  formed  these  two  Christian 
brothers  became  indeed  its  first  missionaries ;  they  were 
supported  in  part  by  the  means  contributed  by  the  Swedish 
Committee. 


13 


In  the  year  1905  the  publication  of  the  well  known  im¬ 
perial  manifesto  gave  religious  liberty,  and  in  the  month 
of  April  of  that  year  the  Russian  Evangelicals  entered  upon 
a  new  experience.  Upon  motion  of  Evanoff  in  Kharkow  the 
believers  among  the  iVIolokans  in  the  south  called  a  thanks¬ 
giving  meeting  which  at  the  same  time  commemorated  the 
100th  anniversary  of  the  manifesto  given  by  Alexander  I, 
who  in  the  year  1805  gave  religious  liberty  to  the  Molokans 
and  some  other  Evangelical  Christians.  .  These  denomina¬ 
tions  had  been  enduring  for  many  years  the  most  cruel  and 
bloody  persecution,  and  the  anniversary  festival  took  place 
in  the  mother  town  of  the  Molokans,  Astrakhanka  in  the 
month  of  September  1905  in  the  presence  of  the  governor  of 
the  province  and  of  a  deputy  of  the  Holy  Synod.  It  was 
also  attended  by  a  good  many  friends  of  the  mission  from 
several  parts  of  Russia  and  from  foreign  countries.  Among 
the  resolutions  there  adopted  was  one  of  forming  a  Pan 
Russian  (for  all  Russia)  Evangelical  Committee  for  the 
purpose  of  sending  out  evangelists  and  also  foi  founding  a 
seminary  for  the  training  of  missionaries  and  teachers,  the 

first  schol  of  the  kind  in  Russia. 

The  next  conference  was  held  in  Astrakhanka  in  1906. 
Here  Iloijer  was  again  given  practically  the  same  commission 
that  he  received  three  years  previously  front  the  Committee 
in  Kiev.  In  these  credentials  that  were  given  him  and  which 
vere  addressed  “to  the  members  of  the  Evangelical  Christian 
Churches  in  Europe  and  America,”  the  following  language 
is  used: 

11 A  mighty  battle  is  being  fought  between  light  and  dark¬ 
ness  in  our  vast  country  of  Russia,  which  is  inhabited  by 
millions  of  people  of  different  nationalities.  The  people  of 
Europe  and  America  cannot  remain  passive  onlookers  in 
this  struggle.  We  Russian  Evangelical  Christians  cannot 
see  without  the  deepest  sorrow  how  the  enemies  of  the  Gospel 
from  different  parts  of  Europe  and  America  hasten  with 
all  their  strength  and  by  all  means  to  follow  some  men,  who 
defile  the  flesh  and  despise  dominion  and  speak  evil  of  dig¬ 
nities,  and  thereby  try  to  undermine  the  religious  feelings  of 
the  much  tried  Russian  people.  The  only  unfailing  way 
of  successfully  fighting  against  darkness,  the  way  which  is 
according  to  the  Holy  Scriptures  is  the  preaching  of  the 

\  14 


The  Pan-Russian 


Evangelical  Committee. 


15 


Gospel.  Other  helps  are  Evangelical  schools  under  the 
guidance  of  believing  Christian  Presbyters  and  literature  not 
only  for  the  information  of  the  young  people  but  for  their 
education  in  the  Evangelical  doctrine  and  in  a  true  Christian 
spirit  (Eph.  6:4;  Matt.  19:  14).  A  favorable  termination 
of  the  fight  mentioned  will  bring  important  results  not  only 

for  the  population  of  Russia,  but  also  for  all  civilized  coun- 
|  tries  and  for  all  people  of  the  world.  The  followers  of  the 

Lord  Jesus  Christ  enlightened  by  the  truth  of  the  Gospel 
have  not  altogether  forgotten  us,  their  brethren,  for  which 
we  thank  the  Lord  from  our  hearts.” 

Soon  after  the  publication ,  of  the  ukase  of  the  17th  of 
April,  1905,  the  Evangelical  Christians  again  undertook  to 
effect  a  better  organization  for  missionary  effort  and  also 
for  better  attaining  the  true  unity  of  believers  (John  17: 
21—23),  and  also  in  order  to  strive  in  the  power  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  for  the  attainment  of  the  great  goal,  the  Evangeliza¬ 
tion  of  Russia. 

“‘We,  Russian  Evangelical  Christians,  are  indeed  forming 
among  the  many  nations  of  Russia  a  little  flock,  and  we  are 
met  on  our  way  by  great  and  numerous  difficulties  and 
obstacles  (1  Cor.  16:9),  tjiat  is  why  we  turn  to  you,  beloved 
brothers  and  sisters  of  the  Evangelical  Christian  Churches 
and  bodies  in  the  various  countries  of  Europe  and  America, 
calling  upon  you  and  beseeching  you  as  the  man  from  Mace¬ 
donia  entreated  Paul,  to  help  us  with  your  prayers  and  with 
your  spiritual  experiences  and  to  help  us  even  with  your 
material  means. 

“At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  conference  in  Astrakhanka 
in  October,  1906,  we  elected  again  ‘our  dear  brother  in 
Christ  and  your  yokefellow,  missionary  N.  F.  Hoijer,’  to  visit 
you  in  the  capacity  of  our  deputy.  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  has 
labored  in  the  Lord’s  field  in  Russia  for  over  twenty-five 
years  and  therefore  possesses  sufficient  experience  and 
knowledge  of  the  position  of  the  Evangelical  movement 
in  Russia  and  can  therefore  give  to  all  questions  that 
may  possibly  be  of  interest  to  you  his  answers,  founded 
on  his  personal  experience. 

“Committing  finally  brother  Hoijer  to  the  keeping  and 
grace  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  we  follow  him  and  his  work 

16 


with  our  prayers,  with  the  assurance  that  our  requests  to 
you  will  be  received  and  responded  to;  ’  ’ 

This  letter  was  signed  by  the  chairman  of  the  Committee, 
at  present  the  deputy  to  the  Imperial  Duma,  Zenovey 
Danilovich  Zacharoff  and  by  the  Secretary,  G.  Zacharoff, 
and  was  also  sealed  showing  that  the  committee  had  a 
charter  or  possessed  the  legal  right  to  do  its  work. 

Having  been  entrusted  with  this  commission  Mr.  Hoijer 
continued  traveling  in  different  parts  of  Russia  and  also 
in  other  lands  of  Europe  and  in  America,  and  it  has  been 
his  privilege  to  win  the  interest  of  many  hearts  in  the 
mission,  to  which  his  life  has  been  devoted  and  also  to  aid 
in  effecting  organizations  and  circles  for  the  purpose  of 
assisting  the  work  in  Russia.  As  a  part  of  his  work  of  or¬ 
ganization  annual  conferences  of  an  international  character 
have  been  held  for  the  purpose  of  furthering  the  Evangeliza¬ 
tion  of  Russia.  The  first  of  these  was  held  in  Stockholm  in 
1908.  Later  similar  conferences  have  been  held  in  different 
countries. 

Also  organizations  have  sprung  up  in  different  ways  in 
several  countries  where  there  are  groups  of  Christians  willing 
to  serve  and  aid  in  Russia’s  Evangelization.  The  good  work 
has  made  headway  notwithstanding  persecutions  and  the 
Lord  has  been  opening  the  way  with  power  and  still  the 
laborers  in  this  part  of  the  Lord’s  vineyard  are  all  too  few. 

In  order  to  be  able  to  Evangelize  Russia  with  its  popula¬ 
tion  of  182,000,000  of  souls  many  more  Evangelical  workers 
must  be  raised  up. 

When  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  returned  from  the  conference 
in  Taurida  in  the  fall  of  1906,  he  was  successful  in  calling 
together  a  meeting  of  Lutheran  pastors  in  St.  Petersburg, 
who  formed  a  committee  with  the  purpose  of  helping  him 
in  his  work.  Pastor  Walter  Jaque  was  also  invited  to  that 
meeting  and  reported  of  the  growth  of  the  work  in  Astra- 
khanka  and  what  steps  had  been  taken  to  establish  a  sem¬ 
inary  there. 

This  committee  resolved  to  convey  with  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoi¬ 
jer  a  letter  addressed  to  the  Archbishop  of  Sweden.  We 
give  an  extract  of  this  letter  in  translation: 

Right  Honorable  Bishop  and  brother  in  the  ministry. 

The  Imperial  manifesto  of  Oct.  17,  1905,  has  granted 

17 


to  all  Russian  subjects,  those  of  the  Orthodox  State  Church 
included,  religious  liberty  on  a  broad  basis.  Our  Evan¬ 
gelical  brothers  in  the  faith  have  received  the  right  to 
live  according  to  their  faith.  Owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
congregations  of  these  brothers  have  no  schools  01  sem¬ 
inaries  for  educating  teachers  and  each  layman  who  feels 
inclined  to  speak  can  preach  the  Word,  the  whole  move¬ 
ment  may  be  characterized  as  one  drifting  into  a  subjective 
and  even  dangerous  conception  of  the  truth. 

Among  the  different  movements  in  which  the  evan¬ 
gelical  awakening  finds  expression,  it  is  worth  to  mention 
the  body  of  the  New  Molokans  (Presbyterians)  with  their 
headquarters  at  Astrakhanka  in  Taurida.  Their  sober  evan¬ 
gelical  spirit  has  kept  them  from  excentricities  and  therefore 
they  seem  to  be  designed  to  be  the  salt  of  the  earth  among 
the  different  religious  movements.  It  is  in  them  that  the 
Oriental  Mission  has  taken  a  brotherly  and  thoughtful  in¬ 
terest  by  helping  them  to  train  teachers  and  ministers. 
To  meet  this  need  a  seminary  for  teachers  is  now  being 
erected  in  Astrakhanka.  In  connection  with  the  seminary 
there  will  be  a  course  for  training  preachers.  The  Com¬ 
mittee  of  the  Oriental  Mission  has  put  Pastor  Walter 
Jaque  in  charge  of  that  work  and  Mr.  Jaque  has  made 
Astrakhanka  his  station.  The  Oriental  Mission  has  spent 
10,000  mark  in  one  year  for  this  work. 

We,  the  undersigned,  Evangel.  Lutheran  ministers  of 
St,  Petersburg,  have  had  a  meeting,  where  we  conferred 
over  the  whole  matter  with  Pastor  Jaque  and  we  would 
express  to  our  fellow-workers  our  full  appreciation  of 
their  service  done  to  our  Russian  brethren. 

By  educating  well-trained  teachers  the  best  service  that 
could  be  desired  is  being  rendered  to  the  cause  of  God’s 
Kingdom.  To  our  regret  we  do  not  yet  enjoy  sufficient 
freedom  for  establishing  a  Missionary  Society,  but  we  ex¬ 
press  our  readiness  to  co-operate  with  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer, 
who  has  worked  for  twenty-six  years  among  the  Molokans 
and  who  is  a  delegate  of  the  Russian  Evangelical  Com¬ 
mittee  in  Astrakhana.  Signatures  follow :  Herman  Ka- 
janus,  Pastor  Ev.  Lutheran  Church,  St.  Petersburg;  John 
Ivarvanen,  Assistant  Pastor;  Herman  Findeisen,  Pastor  of 
the  Evangelical  Hospital  and  Home  of  Deaconesses,  St. 

18 


Petersburg;  Wilm.  Fehrman,  Pastor  Evangel.  City  Mission, 
St.  Petersburg ;  W.  F.  Fagerlund,  Pastor  of  the  Finnish 

c 

Lutheran  Church,  St.  Petersburg. 

Dated  St.  Petersburg,  Jan.  28,  1907. 

Canon  H.  Kajanus  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  St. 
Petersburg  sent  through  brother  Hoijer  a  similar  appeal 
addressed  to  the  pastors  of  Sweden  and  Norway  and  to 
Finland,  also  another  appeal  to  the  Augustana  Synod  in 
the  United  States. 

A  delegation  of  the  Swedish  Committee  together  with 
Rev.  Hoijer  had  an  audience  with  the  Archbishop  of 
Sweden  and  submitted  to  him  the  above  appeal.  The 
Archbishop,  who  was  a  humble-minded  Christian  man, 
received  the  delegation  with  greatest  courtesy;  he  promised 
personally  to  confer  with  the  other  bishops  in  the  country 
over  that  matter  and  expressed  the  hope  that  no  church 
m  Sweden  will  be  closed  for  Hoijer ’s  work. 

At  the  yearly  meeting,  held  in  Taurida  in  1907,  Rev. 
N.  F.  Hoijer  was  elected  and  given  the  following  letter 
to  the  Christians  of  Europe .  and  America : 

This  is  to  certify  that  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  has  been 
authorized  and  requested  by  the  undersigned,  Christian 
workers,  assembled  at  the  third  conference  of  the  Pres¬ 
byterian  Molokans  at  Astrakhanka,  Province  of  Taurida, 
to  awaken  the  interest  of  the  Evangelical  Christians  in 

this  work  and  to  call  their  attention  to  the  following 

points : 

1)  In  view  of  the  almost  absolute  lack  of  evangelical 

books  in  Russia,  it  is  essential  lhat  the  best  foreign  works 

be  translated  and  published  in  Russian. 

2)  It  is  also  of  great  importance  that  a  periodical  be 
published  in  the  interests  of  the  Russian  believers  and  that 
in  this  paper  there  should  nor  only  be  matters  of  a  de¬ 
votional  ahd  theological  character,  but  also  articles  on 
secular  and  sacred  history,  home  and  foreign  missions, 
natural  sciences,  and  general  culture. 

3)  An  Evangelical  Russian  School  for  the  traning  of 
school-teachers  has  been  established  in  Astrakhanka.  It 
is  the  first  and  only  institute  of  its  kind  in  the  whole 
Russian  Empire.  The  Molokans,  who  are  but  a  few  thou¬ 
sand  in  number  have  paid  for  the  buildings,  support 


19 


and  incidentals,  tuition  being  free  to  all  students.  But 
there  are  still  needed  a  library  and  apparatus  for  physics, 
and  for  the  purchase  of  these  much  money  must  be  raised. 

The  Director  of  the  School  and  the  Faculty  are  en¬ 
trusted  with  the  carrying  out  of  the  above  projects. 

Astrakhanka,  October  30,  1907. 

Z.  D.  Zacharoff. 

W.  L.  Jack,  Pastor  and  Principal  of  the  Sem- 
.  inary  for  Teachers  at  Astrakhanka. 

J.  Neprash,  Teacher  of  Russian. 

Ernst  Kjargaard,  Director,  Copenhagen. 

.  Rev.  H.  P.  Mollerup,  Copenhagen. 

Rev.  A.  Simons,  St.  Petersburg,  Russia. 

N.  I.  F.  C.  Matthiesen,  Editor,  Copenhagen. 

W.  N.  Ivanoff,  Charkov. 

Joh.  Svensson,  Pastor  in  Ekenas,  Finland. 

Anna  Palmu,  Treasurer  of  the  Committee 
Evangelical  Mission  in  Russia. 

N.  Zinovieff,  Orel,  Russia. 

We  publish  here  in  extenso  the  fifth  annual  report  of 
the  Swedish  Committee  for  the  Evangelical  Mission  in 
Russia,  year  ending  March  1009. 

During  the  year  included  in  this  report,  ending  March, 
1909,  the  committee  has  closed  its  fifth  year.  It  was  on 
October  22,  1903,  when  the  first  meeting  was  held  at  Mr. 
U.  Palmu,  where  the  members  present  were :  J.  W.  Wallin, 
K.  F.  Pousar,  U.  Palmu,  P.  Ollen,  W.  Lonnback,  C.  W. 
Gillen,  N.  F.  Hoijer,  and  A.  P.  Larson.  The  question  of 
forming  a  Committee  on  the  behalf  of  a  Mission  in 
Russia  had  been  informally  treated  in  a  conversation  at 
K.  F.  Pousar  on  Oct.  18,  1903.  On  October  27th  it  was 
definitely  resolved  to  form  a  committee,  where  J.  W. 
Wallin  was  elected  chairman,  a  function  which  he  occupied 
to  his  death. 

At  the  meeting  of  November  3rd  the  committee  resolved 
to  support  Missionary  N.  F.  Hoijer,  who  had  been  working 
for  over  twenty-eight  years  in  that  difficult  and  yet 
promising  work.  Since  that  time  the  work  of  the  commit¬ 
tee  has  so  developed  under  the  wonderful  guidance  of  the 
Lord,  that  now  after  the  first  period  of  five  years  has 


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been  completed,  we  may  certainly  raise  a  memorial  stone 
and  cut  out  on  it  the  words  hitherto  the  Lord  hath  helped 
us.  We  may  also  today  remember  the  words  which  we 
have  written  on  the  first  page  of  our  book  of  minutes : 

1  i  The  beginning  may  justly  be  called  small,  but  it  is  done 
in  the  name  of  God,  our  Father  and  also  in  the  name  of 
our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  and  under  an  earnest  prayer  for 
the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  the  heart’s  desire 
of  each  one  of  us  is  that  out  of  this  little  grain  of  mustard 

seed  there  may  grow  a  great  tree.  ’ 

Referring  to  the  last  year  of  work  we  must  first  of 
all  note  that  that  year  passed  under  such  circumstances, 
which  helped  to  awaken  a  greater  interest  than  at  any 
earlier  'time  both  in  our  committee  and  in  the  work  of 
the  Evangelization  in  Russia.  At  our  annual  meeting 
on  April  11—13,  1909,  there  were  gathered  not  only  mis¬ 
sion  friends  from  different  parts  of  our  country,  but  also 
from  Russia,  Finland,  Scotland,  England,  Denmark,  Ger¬ 
many  and  Norway.  These  were  all  God-fearing  men  and 
women,  who  were  zealous  of  the  cause  of  his  kingdom 
from  different  Christian  denominations  and  perhaps  with 
different  views  on  some  doctrinal  points,  but  all  filled  with 
enthusiasm  about  one  thought,  the  importance  of  Evangel¬ 
izing  Russia.  Many  of  the  partakers  in  the  conference  did 
not  understand  each  other’s  speach,  but  we  were  one  in 
the  Spirit,  one  in  Christ.  It  seemed  to  us  that  this  con¬ 
ference  was  in  a  measure  the  beginning  of  the  fulfillment 
of  Christ’s  prayer  to  his  heavenly  Father:  “ Neither  pray 
I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall  believe  on 
me  through  their  word:  that  they  may  be  one;  as  thou 
Father  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be 
one  in  us,  that  the  world  may  believe  that  thou  hast  sent 
me.  ’  ’ 

As  a  very  important  asset  of  this  yearly  meeting,  or 
as  it  also  could  be  called,  The  First  International  Confer¬ 
ence  for  the  Evangelical  Mission  in  Russia,  may  be  noted 
a  Manifesto  or  Exposition  of  Principles,  touching  the 
Evangelical  Mission  among  the  Russian  People,  which  was 
endorsed  after  due  consideration  by  those  present  at  the 
meeting.  This  Manifesto  was  conceived  in  the  following 
words : 


22 


Friends  of  the  Gospel  Work  in  Russia,  gathered  in 
Stockholm,  from  several  countries  in  Europe  at  a  confer¬ 
ence  on  the  behalf  of  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  in  the 
Russian  Empire,  have  unitedly  endorsed  the  following 
manifesto : 

1)  The  work  of  the  Gospel  mission  in  Russia  is  founded 
on  the  Holy  Scriptures  and  the  priciple  of  the  unity  of 
all  Christians  in  Christ. 

2)  We  acknowledge  the  Gospel  movement  in  Russia, 
as  an  independent  spiritual  movement  and  we  would  con¬ 
tribute  to  preserve  it  in  the  future  as  a  free  and  inde¬ 
pendent  movement- 

3)  At  the  same  time  we  recognize  that  believing  friends 
in  other  countries,  whose  work  the  Lord’s  Spirit  has 

f 

honored,  have  contributed  in  a  great  measure  to  call  forth 
and  to  support  this  movement. 

4)  Nevertheless  we  are  convinced  that  real  reformation 
in  the  spiritual  domain  in  Russia  ought  to  be  carried  out 
by  believers  of  the  Russian  people  themselves,  moved  to 
it  by  God’s  Spirit. 

5)  Whereas  the  Gospel  movement  in  Russia  has  been 
led  hitherto  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  and  according  to  the 
Word  of  the  Lord,  we  ought  with  God’s  grace  to  endeavor 
to  work  that  it  may  in  the  future  develop  on  the  ground  of 
God’s  Word  and  under  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

6)  We  believe  also  that  in  labors  to  spread  the  Gospel 
in  Russia,  we  ought  to  be  followers  of  God  in  the  way 
he  has  broken  in  that  country  and  yield  ourselves  so  that 
God’s  Spirit  may  accept  our  service  in  supporting  and 
guiding  the  work,  which  the  Lord  has  already  begun 
among  the  Russian  brethren. 

7)  Those  who  have  the  work  of  the  Gospel  in  Russia 
committed  to  their  charge  by  the  Christians  in  that  land, 
ought  to  be  assisted  by  us  in  every  possible  way.  But  we 
are  also  willing,  as  far  as  our  powers  are  permitting,  to 
support  new  workers,  who  work  in  the  same  spirit  as  the 
earlier  workers,  by  conducting  evangelical  services,  by 
spreading  Christian  literature  in  the  country  etc. 

8)  We  wish  also  to  work  in  the  line  of  deepening  of 
Christian  life  and  desire  that  such  meetings  and  conferences 
conducted  by  men  of  experience  may  be  arranged,  where 


23 


God’s  children  are  taught  the  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scrip¬ 
tures  and  the  right  standing  in  the  Lord.  We  share  the 
opinion  that  such  work  among  God’s  people  is  one  of  the 
most  important. 

9)  Furthermore,  we  consider  it  important  that  men  of 
experience  should  arrange  small  meetings  in  several  places, 
where  they  could  lead  Russian  Christians  into  the  Word  of 
God  and  into  the  practical  work  of  evangelization. 

10)  For  this  line  of  work  especially  the  help  of 
foreign  brothers  ought  to  be  depended  upon. 

11)  In  order  that  the  friends  of  the  work  may  be 
regularly  kept  informed  on  the  condition  and  progress  of 
the  mission  work  in  Russia,  it  is  necessary  that  the  Rus¬ 
sian  workers  in  the  Gospel  send  in  their  reports  to  the 
foreign  organizations,  with  whom  they  are  connected. 

12)  Therefore  we  consider  it  necessary  that  new  com- 
mit+ees  be  formed,  where  such  committees  have  not  yet 
been  organized  in,  the  lands  which  are  interested  in  the 
progress  of  the  Gospel  in  Russia. 

13)  As  long  as  a  work  on  these  lines,  founded  on 
God’s  Word  and  led  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  carried 
on,  we  are  willing  ourselves  to  give  it  our  support  and  also 
to  interest  other  people  in  it. 

This  is  the  utterance  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  of  this 
Conference  of  Christians  from  different  countries.  It 
was  a  time  of  deep  soul’s  feelings  and,  as  we  thought  of 
great  importance,  when  this  decision  was  taken  in  the 

circle  of  intimate  friends  in  the  residence  of  Mr.  Ulric 

Palniu,  landed  proprietor  at  Ekenas,  April  13,  1908. 

Regarding  the  part  which  the  committee  took  in  the 

Evangelization  of  Russia,  it  was — similarly  to  what  has 

been  done  previously — the  support  of  Rev.  Hoijer  and 
Rev.  John  Svensson  and  of  the  Russian  evangelists  Odint- 
zoff  and  Markin.  Beside  that,  the  committee  has  given 
a  contribution  to  the  first  evangelical  seminary  in  Russia 
which  was  founded  in  1906  in  the  Molokan  settlement  at 
Astrakhanka  in  the  province  of  Taurida,  south  Russia. 
The  committee  has  been  communicating  with  the  Russian 
Evangelical  Allance  which  has  its  headquarters  in  St. 
Petersburg  and  which  has  been  chartered  by  the  Emperor 
and  therefore  has  received  a  legal  right  to  continue  its 


24 


work,  and  also  with  the  Pan-Russian  Committee  of  Missions 
in  Astrakhanka.  (Last  fall  it  was  impossible  to  send  any 
delegate  to  that  part  of  the  country.)  Conjointly  with 
these  organizations  we  have  been  supporting  Odintzoff  and 
Markin  and  also  in  co-operation  with  friends  in  England, 
Scotland  and  Finland  we  have  paid  part  of  salary  of 
John  Svensson  and  thus  we  have  been  supporting  the  work 
in  Moscow.  Only  the  grant  for  Hoijer  has  been  exclusively 
covered  by  the  Swedish  committee. 

Hoijer ’s  work,  according  to  the  full  powers  which  were 
given  him  from  the  Pan-Russian  conference  in  Astrakhanka, 
has  been  especially  devoted  to  make  known  the  Russian 
Evangelical  Mission  and  to  awaken  interest  for  it  abroad. 
The  results  of  this  work  were  seen  during  this  year  among 
others  in  the  contributions,  which  have  come  from  societies 
and  from  individuals  in  England,  Scotland  and  Finland. 
Also  through  Hoijer ’s  initiative  a  committee  has  been 
formed  in  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  for  the  Gospel  work  in 
Russia,  whose  first  active  step  in  the  work  was  to  support 
the  well-known  warm-hearted  evangelist  J.  Werbitzky  in 
Moskow. 

It  was  planned  in  the  fall  of  1907  that  Hoijer  should 
make  a  tour  through  America  to  awaken  also  there  interest 
for  the  mission  in  Russia;  however,  this  trip  could  not  yet 
be  materialized.  It  was  put  off  to  the  fall  of  the  follow¬ 
ing  year. 

By  visiting  St.  Petersburg  during  this  year  here  re¬ 
ported  Hoijer  has  been  permitted  to  be  active  in  the  work 
of  organization  and  evangelization  and  especially  in  the 
development  of  the  Russian  Evangelical  Alliance. 

Under  his  tour  through  Sweden  Hoijer  has  been  re¬ 
ceived  with  confidence  and  love  and  wherever  he  appeared 
he  has  met  with  an  attentive  audience  of  people  who  lis¬ 
tened  to  his  missionary  experience  as  it  seems  that  the  call 
to  that  mission  field  in  Russia  has  been  laid  on  his  heart, 
that  he  may  bring  an  edifying  message  to  God’s  church 
there. 

John  Swensson  has  written  to  the  committee  during 
the  year  the  most  cheerful  news  of  the  evangelical  work  in 
Moscow  which  has  several  millions  of  souls  together  with 
the  surrounding  country.  The  congregation  of  believers 


25 


has  increased  in  numbers  and  has  grown.  New  hall  and 
stations  for  preaching  and  for  Sunday  Schools  have  been 
rented,  young  people’s  associations  have  been  started;  also 
Bible  classes,  visitors  of  prisons,  hospitals,  homes  for  the 
destitute  have  been  sent.  Bibles  and  parts  were  given  free 
of  charge  by  British  friends.  One  clergyman  and  one 
converted  monk  have  partaken  in  that  work.  The  chair¬ 
man  of  our  committee  has  ordered  20,000  tracts  to  be 
printed  and  to  be  sent  to  Svensson.  These  tracts  have 
some  well  adapted  text  and  an  invitation  to  the  meetings, 
printed  on  them  with  address  and  time  at  which  services 
are  held.  These  invitations  have  helped  to  make  the  meet¬ 
ings  better  known,  so  that  the  halls  were  filled  to  over¬ 
flowing  by  a  crowd  who  was  eager  to  know  the  way  of 
salvation. 

It  is  true  that  all  this  has  called  forth  opposition  and 
enmity,  especially  from  the  side  of  some  priests.  How¬ 
ever,  up  to -now  the  work  could  continue  without  interrup¬ 
tion.  The  Lord  be  praised. 

Thus  Svensson  has  both  hands  full  of  work.  This  is 
true  also  of  his  helpers.  And  we  hear  continually  these 
words:  The  harvest  is  ripe,  help  us  to  take  it  in.  Funds 
are  necessary  for  more  evangelists  and  for  sending  out 
more  evangelists  to  visit  the  homes  and  the  sick.  In  the 
hospitals  and  in  the  prisons,  which  are  now  open  for  the 
messengers  of  the  Gospel  people  are  only  waiting  for  the 
comforting  words  of  grace;  one  waits  as  the  dry  earth 
waits  for  a  quickening  rain. 

We  have  also  received  letters  from  the  evangelists 
Odintzoff  and  Markin,  where  they  report  of  the  great 
revivals  which  follow  them  wherever  they  preach.  There 
is  indeed  an  unheard  of  hunger  among  the  Russian  people 
for  the  living  Word  of  God.  From  the  bosom  of  the 
Russian  people  an  inquiry  rises  in  our  days  perhaps  more 
intense  than  ever  since  the  inquiry  of  the  heathen  jailor 
in  Philippi:  What  shall  I  do  to  he  saved ? 

May  we,  who  have  been  called  to  help  in  answering  this 
question  sent  up  by  the  Russian  people,  in  their  search 
for  salvation,  not  linger  with  our  answer.  And  may  wc 
also  not  shut  our  ears  for  the  pleading  which  comes  to 


26 


us  ever  so  often  through  letters  or  through  greetings  con¬ 
veyed  orally  by  Russia ’s  believers :  ‘  ‘  Pray  for  us.  ’  ’ 

Let  us  work  while  it  is  day.  The  night  cometh,  when 
no  man  can  work. 

J.  W.  Wallin, 

Chairman  Committee  for  the  Evangelical  mission  in  Russia. 

A.  P.  Larson. 

Stockholm,  19th  of  March,  1909. 

In  the  year  1909  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  left  Sweden  for 
the  United  States.  The  Swedish  Committee  provided  him 
with  the  following  note,  addressed  to  the  American  press: 

In  the  hope  that  you  will  kindly  favor  us  with  your 
assistance  in  our  endeavor  to  awaken  in  the  United  States 
especially  among  the  Scandinavians  of  America,  an  interest 
in  the  Evangelical  mission  in  Russia,  we  take  the  liberty 
of  sending  you  the  following  article,  asking  you  to  publish 
it  in  extenso  or  in  part  according  as  you  have  space.  You 
may  also  publish  the  contents  of  this  letter  according  to 
your  own  judgment. 

Our  object  is  by  those  means  to  make  known  before¬ 
hand  the  visit  of  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  to  the  United  States, 
and  we  believe  we  can  assure  you  that  those  who  welcome 
him  in  their  churches  or  chapels  will  not  be  disappointed 
in  their  expectations  if  they  wish  to  obtain  information 
about  the  vast  Empire  of  Russia.  Mr.  Hoijer ’s  missionary 
experience  of  twenty-seven  years  in  Russia  has  been  full 
of  the  most  wonderful  events,  even  of  the  most  thrilling 
adventures.  It  is  seldom  that  one  missionary  has  had  such 
rich  experience  and  that  he  can  narrate  it  in  such  a  real¬ 
istic  way.  We  hope  now  that  this  will  be  acknowledged  in 
America  as  it  has  been  the  case  under  Mr.  Hoijer *s  ad¬ 
dresses  in  Sweden,  Finland,  Denmark  and  England. 

While  we  request  you  kindly  to  mention  the  projected 
visit  of  Mr.  Hoijer  and  if  possible  also  to  publish  the 
report  of  his  addresses,  we  take  the  liberty  of  laying  stress 
on  the  fact  that  Hoijer  does  not  come  to  America  to  “beg” 
either  for  himself  or  for  our  committee.  But  if  some  one 
will  give  a  voluntary  gift  for  the  Russian  Mission  such 
will  be  both  welcome  and  gratefully  acknowledged.  What 


27 


may  possibly  be  offered  during  bis  visit  will  be  exclusively 
for  that  mission.  The  main  object  with  Mr.  Hoijers  visit 
to  America  on  behalf  of  the  Evangelical  Mission  in  Russia 
is  to  awaken  a  lasting  interest  in  it. 

We  would  especially  ask  your  co-operation  for  organiz¬ 
ing  circles  for  the  support  of  Russian  evangelists  which 
may  be  called  to  the  ministry  of  the  Evangelical  bodies  now 
existing  in  Russia.  With  the  experience  we  have  already 
acquired  we  may  say  that  the  foreign  missionaries,  who  do 
not  know  the  language  or  the  customs  of  Russia,  are  of 
little  usefulness  in  the  land,  and  those  who  come  to  work 
in  the  interest  of  some  denomination,  without  wishing  to 
adapt  themselves  to  one  of  the  evangelical  movements  in 
Russia,  can  do  in  most  cases  but  very  little,  if  they  do 
not  altogether  bring  'trouble  and  disorder. 

The  Evangelical  movement  now  progressing  among 
the  Russians  has  both  an  international  and  an  inter¬ 
denominational  character,  and  we  their  friends  from 
other  countries  can  in  no  better  way  benefit  it  than, 
whenever  necessary,  to  give  it  our  advice  and  our 
guidance  and  also  to  support  it  with  money,  in  order  that 
as  many  evangelists  as  possible  may  be  sent  out.  The 
Evangelical  believers  have  among  themselves  persons  fit  for 
being  sent  out  to  the  mission  field.  There  are  among  them 
such  men,  who  have  suffered  imprisonment,  exile  and  many 
hardships  in  the  hard  times  of  persecution.  There  are 
among  them  men  with  great  spiritual  gifts  and  able 
speakers,  but  they  cannot  be  sent  for  lack  of  means.  There 
are  circles  which  have  begun  a  very  blessed  Gospel  mission 
in  that  vast  country  and  at  present  there  are  about  fifty 
such  evangelists  sent  to  the  mission  field,  but  what  are 
these  for  such  multitude?  How  much  work  can  fifty  men 
do  in  a  population  of  180  million  souls. 

The  more  important  Russian  missionary  organizations 
known  to  us  are:  1)  The  Pan-Russian  Evangelical  Com¬ 
mittee  of  Missions ,  with  their  headquarters  in  the  town  of 
Astrakhanka  in  the  Molokan  settlement,  Taurida  in  the 
south,  whose  chairman  is  the  deputy  to  the  Imperial  Duma 
Z.  D.  Zacharoff;  2)  The  Russian  Evangelical  Covenant, 
which  has  its  headquarters  in  Petrograd.  The  members 
of  its  executive  committee  are  Baron  Paul  Nicolay,  General 


28 


Offenberg,  J.  S.  Prokhanoff,  Civil  Engineer,  and  others. 
Among  those  members  of  the  committee  who  founded  it 
was  also  Mr.  Maximovski,  Counsellor  of  State  and  Chief 
of  the  Prisons  of  the  empire,  who  died  a  victim  to  an 
assassin’s  bullet. 

It  was  Mr.  Hoijer  who  was  the  most  active  man  to  pre¬ 
pare  the  ground  and  to  call  to  life  this  committee  which 
is  so  important  a  factor  in  the  organization  of  the  Russian 
mission.  3)  A  third  organization  has  its  headquarters  in 
Rostof  on  the  Don.  Its  chairman  is  a  wealthy  proprietor, 
Mazayeff,  and  the  society  has  a  far-reaching  field. 

The  Swedish  Committee  for  the  Evangelical  Mission  in 
Russia  has  entered  upon  a  fraternal  co-operation  with  the 
above  named  societies.  It  has  been  contributing  the  half 
or  the  third  part  of  the  salary  of  several  Russian  mission¬ 
aries  and  it  has  also  endeavored  to  work  through  Mr.  Hoi¬ 
jer,  as  a  connecting  and  binding  element  between  those 
different  bodies. 

From  the  beginning  of  1908  the  committee  has  secured 
the  services  of  another  Swede  residing  in  Russia,  John 
Svensson  in  Ekenas,  Finland,  who  has  several  years’  ex¬ 
perience  in  the  Russian  field.  His  station  will  be  Moscow, 
and  his  work  will  extend  mainly  in  Central  Russia,  always 
in  co-operation  with  the  above  mentioned  organizations  in 
Petrograd  and  in  the  south. 

During  the  four  years  of  our  work  as  a  committee,  we 
have  come  into  a  very  close  touch  with  the  Evangelical 
Christians  in  Russia,  partly  through  Mr.  Hoijer  and  partly 
through  some  of  the  members  of  our  committee,  who  have 
visited  Russia.  Our  secretary  spent  last  autumn  there, 
and  our  treasurer,  Miss  Anna  Palmu  is  now  traveling 
there.  '  .  J 

Being  the  nearest  neighbors  of  that  vast  land  of  ig¬ 
norance  and  dark  superstition,  we  have  considered  it  our 
duty  to  do  what  we  can  to  scatter  the  darkness.  And  we 
thought  also  that  being  so  near  to  Russia,  we  could  in  a 
measure  serve  as  a  channel  for  transmitting  the  gifts  of 
Christian  love  from  other  lands.  And  therefore  in  sending 
Rev.  Hoijer  to  America  we  do  it  with  the  understanding 
that  he  does  not  go  there  so  much  to  represent  us,  as  to 


29  • 


represent  the  Evangelical  bodies  in  Russia,  which  we  have 
named.  This  is  certified  by  the  recommendations  and 
credentials  of  which  he  is  the  bearer. 

Asking  your  co-operation  for  making  Rev.  Hoijer  s  visit 
successful  for  the  Evangelization  of  Russia  and  hoping  to 
be  met  with  your  favor  on  that  behalf,  we  sign, 

Yours  respectfully, 

J.  W.  Wallin , 

Chairman  Evang.  Mission  in  Russia. 

A.  P.  Larsson, 

Secretary. 


During  the  visit  in  the  U.  S.  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  made 
in  the  fall  of  1909  and  beginning  of  1910  a  tour  through 
the  Eastern  states  with  the  object  of  trying  to  interest 
the  Christians  of  Scandinavian  descent  in  the  Evangelical 
Mission  in  Russia.  A  committee  was  then  formed  in  New 
York,  which  entered  into  communication  with  the  Russian 

Mission. 

A  circular  which  that  committee  sent  to  the  Christians 
in  Russia  and  in  other  countries  is  thus  worded : 

“Dear  brothers  in  the  Lord. 

Through  the  visit  of  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  to  America  which 
was  much  appreciated  a  new  knowledge  of  the  mission 
in  Russia  with  its  progress,  its  difficulties  and  its  need 
was  imparted  to  us,  with  a  clearness  we  never  posessed 
before.  The  true  friends  of  the  mission  are  greatly  cheered 
by  the  progress  of  the  Gospel  in  Russia. 

Having  consulted  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer,  a  new  committee 
has  been  organized  here  in  America  having  for  its  aim  to 
awaken  here  a  continual  interest  for  the  Evangelization 

of  Russia. 

In  a  meeting  held  on  May  2,  1910,  our  Committee  re¬ 
solved  to  send  through  Mr.  Hoijer  a  letter  to  our  Russian 
brothers  and  fellow  workers  in  the  vast  field  respectfully 
asking  for  a  concise  and  clear  report  of  the  Evangelical 

work  in  Russia. 


31 


What  is  the  plan?  Should  evangelists  be  sent?  Should 
churches  and  schools  be  built?  Should  children  be  taught 
and  Sunday  Schools  be  formed?  Should  Gospel  literature 
be  printed  and  distributed? 

How  shall  this  be  carried  out?  How  large  a  sum  is 
necessary  for  carrying  out  the  plan?  How  much  of  that 
sum  can  be  raised  in  Russia? 

The  American  Committee  wishes  to  obtain  this  report 
in  the  form  of  an  appeal  to  our  wealthier  churches,  socie¬ 
ties  and  private  individuals.  This  appeal  should  be  signed 
by  Committees  for  the  Russian  Mission  in  different 
countries.  Also  each  committee  should  send  that  appeal 
to  the  parties  or  churches  concerned  in  America. 

With  brotherly  greetings, 

M.  Josef  son,  Chairman. 

C.  E.  Peterson,  Deputy. 


Of  all  the  answers  that  were  sent  from  Committees 
for  the  Evangelization  of  Russia  from  different  lands,  it 
would  seem  to  us  that  none  was  more  interesting  and  more 
thoroughly  answering  the  questions  than  the  Manifesto 
from  the  Conference  in  Stockholm,  of  1909,  which  we  have 
already  mentioned.  It  is  evident  that  the  Committee  in 
New  York  were  ignorant  of  this  manifesto,  when  they  sent 
their  circular  with  their  questions. 

Prom  the  United  States  Hoijer  returned  to  Scandinavia 
and  Russia  in  the  spring  1910.  During  his  visit  in  Moscow 
there  was  established  a  Committee  for  the  Evengelization 
of  Russia.  We  are  giving  him  the  following  extract  from 
the  minutes  of  the  Committee’s  first  informal  meeting: 
We  the  undersigned  have  gathered  on  the  18th  of  October, 
1910,  in  the  house  of  brother  I.  K.  Verbitsky  where  we 
have  resolved  to  found  a  Committee  for  the  Evangelization 
of  Russia.  (Signed  by  six  members.) 

The  following  persons  were  elected  as  officers  of  the 
committee:  Th.  S.  Savelyeff,  Chairman;  N.  P.  Tkachenko, 
Deputy ;  A.  A.  Belavin,  Treasurer ;  J.  S.  Svensson  and  J. 
K.  Verbitsky,  Secretaries.  The  Committee  heard  the  read¬ 
ing  of  the 'project  of  statutes  and  confirmed  same.  It  was 
resolved  to  build  a  house  for  the  Committee  in  Moscow. 


The  house  property  will  be  vested  in  a  committee  of  six 
trustees,  which  will  be  called:  Committee  for  the  Evan¬ 
gelization  of  Russia.  The  Committee  resolved  unanimously 
to  act  in  harmony  with  the  principles  laid  down  in  the 
statutes  of  the  Russian  Evangelical  Alliance, 


Extracts  from  the  Annual  Re/port  of  the  Committee  for  the 
Evangelical  Mission  in  Russia Stockholm,  1913. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  it  is  in  Russia,  the  land  of 
contrasts,  of  arbitrary  rule  and  of  surprise,  that  we  carry 
out  our  mission.  If  we  bear  this  in  mind  it  will  explain 
to  us  many  things.  The  text  of  the  law  is  being  inter¬ 
preted  and  applied  in  different  ways,  mostly  as  the  local 
authorities  would  interpret  it,  as  it  would  suit  best  their 
purpose.  One  gives  lavishly  with  one  hand  in  order  to 
take  it  back  with  the  other  hand.  Therefore  some  measure 
of  freedom  granted  one  day  cannot  bear  much  fruit,  when 
it  is  soon  restricted  or  waived  by  another  order.  For  in¬ 
stance,  no  sooner  had  the  great  wave  of  jubilation  which 
had  beep  aroused  by  the  manifesto  of  religous  liberty  of 
1905  gone  over  the  country,  than  the  law  of  1910  respecting 
the  religious  meetings  was  published  with  its  restrictive 
regulations.;  with  the  aim  of  clipping  this  liberty  of  its 
essential  parts  and  of  creating  for  Russia  a  typical  state 
of  vagueness  and  un safety  \yhere  arbitrary  rule  is  given  a 
vast  playground. 

It  is  clear  that  the  Synod  of  the  State  Church,  backed 
up  by  this  act,  does  all  that  is  in  its  power  to  be  able 
with  new  enactments  to  cut  to  the  root  as  with  a  pruning 
knife  the  spiritual  offshoots  of  the  religious  liberty.  The 
chief  procurator  Sabler’s  new  report  to  the  Minister  of 
the  Interior  is  a  measure  brought  in  the  same  line. 

But  "it  is  not  only  men  of  the  reaction  who  sit  in  the 
council  chamber  of  the  tsar.  Some  of  the  champions  of 
religious  liberty  still  hold  their  seat  there  and  these  are 
doing  their  utmost  not  to  throw  the  country  in  the  old. 
times  of  terror.  They  are  not  so  easily  duped  by  the 
false  zeal  of  their  opponents  who  pretend  that  they  are  on 
their  guard  against  the  evangelicals,  whom  they  accuse 
of  hiding  revolutionary  tendencies  in  their  bosom.  Con- 


33 


sequently  it  seems  that  a  contest  is  being  prepared  in  the 
legislative  domain.  How  ought  the  prayers  of  God’s  people 

steadily  and  earnestly  to  be  raised  to  God,  that  he  would 
intervene  and  bring  the  devices  of  the  enemies  to  naught ! 

But  altho  the  reaction  let  lose  has  been  in  many  places 

i 

successful  in  checking  and  opposing  the  work,  in  other 
places,  owing  to  friendly  officials  and  the  liberal  party  of 
the  press,  the  Gospel  has  been  preached  with  the  greatest 
liberty. 

To  give  a  good  picture  of  the  condition  in  such  pro¬ 
vinces  we  may  quote  the  following  report. 

Never  before,  says  br.  N.  Odintsoff,  has  the  need  for 
Evangelical  workers  in  Russia  been  so  great  as  this  year. 
Wherever  I  went  the  last  time  people  crowded  in  masses 
to  hear  God’s  word.  Nowhere  in  these  towns  is  it  possible 
to  secure  a  hall  large  enough  to  accommodate  those  who 
sought  the  way  of  salvation.  Oh,  if  you  could  see  with 
what  eagerness  and  interest  they  are  now  listening  to  the 
word  of  the  Gospel!  Fearing  lest  they  would  miss  one 
word  of  the  discourse  they  are  listening,  keeping  their 
breath,  their  eyes  filled  with  tears,  their  hearts  being  deep¬ 
ly  moved.  And  they  yield  themselves  to  the  Lord  unre¬ 
servedly  and  entirely. 

No  offenses,  no  trials,  no  attacks  from  the  orthodox 
priesthood  or  the  rough  Russian  police  are  able  to  quench 
the  fire  that  has  been  kindled  in  their  hearts.  After  this 
they  yield  themselves  to  the  Lord  ready  to  live  and  to 
suffer  for  him. 

Another  brother  writes  an  account  of  his  visit  to 
Ingermanland. 

“The  meetings  were  wonderfully  blessed.  I  have  had 
a  unique  experience.  God’s  Spirit  was  so  moving  the 
meeting  that  sometimes  the  whole  assembly  was  touched  to 
tears.  Almost  every  day  I  receive  a  call  to  some  new 
congregation,  where  no  one  has  been  with  the  Gospel  of 
Christ.  Often  I  am  being  pressed  by  people  who  entreat 
me  with  tears  to  come  and  visit  them ;  but  it  is  not  possi¬ 
ble.”  Similar  reports  are  given  by  other  brothers. 


34 


METHODS  OF  WORK. 

It  is  natural  that  the  methods  of  work  are  subject  to 
change  and  must  adapt  themselves  to  the  local  conditions. 
Where  people  are  gathering  for  public  worship  the  services 
are  consisting  of  song,  prayers,  preaching  of  God’s  Word 
and  conversation.  If  this  is  forbidden  by  the  local 
authorities  the  meetings  are  held  in  secret.  Meetings  are 
held  at  an  hour  which  is  most  convenient  in  some  loft,  in 
a  cellar  etc.  Always  at  the  risk  of  being  interfered  with 
by  the  police  and  of  being  taken  to  court.  The  result  is 
then  either  prison  or  fines  or  both.  But  where  there 
is  a  hunger  and  thirst  for  the  word  of  the  Gospel, 
people  are  running  the  risk  of  such  consequences.  And 
the  witnessing  brothers  are  also  usually  following  the 
practice  of  the  apostles:  to  obey  God  more  than  men  (Acts 
5:  29).  So  to  them  also  the  grace  is  given,  not  only 
to  believe  in  Christ,  but  also  to  suffer  for  his  name’s 

sake. 

It  would  be  necessary  to  mention  that  our  committee 
alwavs  tries  to  follow  the  method  of  using  the  native  wor¬ 
kers  as  far  as  it  is  possible  and  to  maintain  thus  the 
closest  co-operation  with  the  Russian  brothers.  One  of 
our  tasks  is  to  see  that  their  sense  of  responsibility  and 
duty  is  being  developed  towards  their  own  people  and  that 
they  are  engaged  in  a  hearty,  persisting  work,  bearing  in 
view  the  goal  for  which  they  labor  and  that  they  aie 
willing  to  deny  themselves  in  the  work  required  by  their 
own  country. 


THE  POWER  OF  THE  WORD. 

The  workings  of  the  power  of  the  word  sown  in  the 
ground  are  seen  in  other  manifestations  than  those  we 
have  mentioned.  The  people  who  are  listening  stop  to  re¬ 
reflect.  Conversations  are  arising  about  the  things  they 
have  heard.  Often  someone  questions  if  the  teaching  of 
salvation  as  taught  by  the  priests  is  the  correct  one  or 
if  the  Evangelicals  have  the  truth  on  their  side.’  The 
conversations  and  inquiries  take  up  always  a  laigei  ciicle 
and  so  the  hearts  are  prepared  for  the  remodelling  which 


35 


the  Gospel  of  Christ  is  able  of  bringing  about.  But 
through  that  the  authority  of  the  State  Church  of  Russia 
is  being  undermined.  Its  doctrine  of  the  worship  of 
images  necessary  for  salvation,  Mariolatry,  salvation  by 
works,  are  being  questioned.  Then  people  begin  to  examine 
and  to  debate  on  such  subjects  as  the  form  of  church 
government,  the  power  of  the  Synod,  the  ignorant  alcohol- 
ridden  priesthood  with  its  greed  for  money  and  its  reac¬ 
tionary  politics,  the  shadows  of  the  cloister  life.  It  seems 
one  sometimes  as  if  the  whole  Russian  nation  were  eagerly 
waiting  for  a  complete  radical  reform  of  the  State  Church. 
If  meanwhile  the  fervor  of  God’s  own  Spirit,  its  warmth, 
light  and  power  shall  breathe  through  the  vaults  of  those 
churches  crowned  with  cupolas  and  shall  revive  them,  it 
will  depend  to  a  great  degree  upon  what  God’s  people  will 
do  by  his  grace  and  help  in  this  time  of  crisis. 

About  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  it  says  in  this  report  that  his 
department  of  work  during  this  year  has  been  to  do  dele¬ 
gation  work  abroad  rather  than  mission  work  in  the  in¬ 
terior  of  Russia.  His  special  gift  of  putting  other  people 
into  the  work  and  of  inspiring  them  with  zeal  is  often 
more  needed  in  Christian  lands  than  a  direct  service  on  the 
field.  In  the  spring  of  1912  he  paid  a  visit  to  Norway 
and  was  addressing  meetings  in  sixty  different  towns  and 
cities  in  Sweden.  After  this  he  was  invited  by  the 

American  Committee  to  come  to  the  U.  S.  to  interest  the 

Church  in  the  Russian  Mission. 

The  missionary  interest  which  brother  Hoijer  has  been 
successful  in  awakening  in  both  Scotland,  England,  Scan¬ 
dinavia  and  America  has  been  increasing  to  our  great 
satisfaction.  We  believe  that  Russia  which  is  open  for  the 
Gospel  will  be  a  mighty  factor  to  bring  the  Gospel  to 

Asia’s  neighboring  nations.  Then  the  crescent  of  the  Islam 

will  turn  pale  before  the  rising  of  the  sun  of  righteousness 
which  bears  healing  in  its  rays. 

Meanwhile  the  most  effective  agents  for  our  work  are: 

In  Finland:  The  Evangelical  Mission  Covenant.  This 
body  supplies  one-third  of  bro.  Svensson’s  salary  and  gives 
contributions  for  the  Bible  distribution  work  in  Moscow. 

In  Denmark:  Committee  for  the  Evangelical  Mission 
m  Russia.  This  committee  is  closely  connected  with  the 


36 


Inland  Mission  in  Denmark  and  supports  Iwan  Verbitsky, 
missionary  in  Russia. 

In  Norway :  Alliance  for  the  Evangelical  Mission  in 
Russia  in  Christiania.  This  alliance  contributes  towards 
supporting  the  evangelist  Andreyeff  in  Jolkina  with  wife. 

In  New  York,  U.  S.,  The  American  Committee  for  the 
Evangelization  of  Russia.  Rev.  M.  Josefson,  N.  Y.,  Chair¬ 
man. 

Contributions  in  Holy  Scriptures  were  also  given  by 
the  B.  and  F.  Bible  Society  in  London  and  by  the  Scotch 
Bible  Society.  During  the  year  mentioned  the  following 
Holy  Scriptures  were  distributed:  2,558  New  Testaments, 
3,927  copies  of  the  four  Gospels,  290  Psalms  and  13,725 
single  Gospels,  making  a  total  of  20,500  copies. 

The  receipts  of  the  Committee  were  19,057  crowns. 

The  Report  of  the  Committee  for  1915  treats  on  the 
encouraging  elements  of  the  work  and  also  on  the  perse¬ 
cution  raised  by  the  government  against  the  Baptists.  The 
report  shows  the  receipts  under  the  year  to  be  19,217 
Swedish  crowns. 

A  noteworthy  utterance  in  this  report  shows  how  the 
friends  in  Sweden  were  good  judges  of  the  events  that 
were  impending  in  the  political  atmosphere  of  that  vast 
neighbor-land.  It  was  two  years  previous  to  the  revolution 
and  this  report  said  that  all  signs  of  the  times  seemed  to 
point  that  the  people  of  Russia  were  then  in  a  condition 
that  could  not  last  long,  as  they  became  more  and  more 
conscious  of  their  need  of  freedom  and  light.  It  said: 
The  whole  country  awaits  soon  an  outbreak  of  a  spiritual 
spring. 

The  Report  of  the  Swedish  Committee  for  1917  begins 
with  a  solemn  note  of  gratitude  and  of  a  feeling  of  re¬ 
sponsibility  as  the  Swedish  nation  had  in  these  years  of 
world-war  the  privilege  of  taking  such  active  part  in  bring¬ 
ing  the  message  of  the  divine  enlightenment  to  the  people 
of  Russia.  The  Thirteenth  Anniversary  of  the  mission 
was  held  in  Bethesda  Church  in  May,  1917.  It  must  be 
therefore  born  in  mind  that  one  month  ago,  that  is  in 
May,  1918,  the  Swedish  Committee  has  filled  fourteen 
years  of  its  existence. 


37 


The  report  for  1917  says  that  it  was  very  gratifying 
to  hear  that  the  work  grows  into  surprising  dimentions. 
A  new  preaching  station  had  to  be  secured  near  a  large 
market  place,  Smolenski  Rynok  in  Moscow.  Since  the 
revolution  broke  the  trail  for  the  liberty  of  speech  and 
public  meetings,  the  Evangelicals  of  Russia  have  availed 
themselves  of  every  channel  for  making  known  the  meetings 
and  for  preaching.  The  owner  of  a  large  public  hall  in 
Moscow  who  charged  one  hundred  roubles  for  renting  his 
hall  in  an  evening,  let  it  to  the  believers  for  only  twenty- 
five  roubles  for  each  evening.  It  is  noteworthy  that  since 
the  nation  wrung  out  the  liberty  from  the  ruling  classes, 
the  preaching  of  the  truth  reaches  a  wider  sphere  and 
quite  a  new  element  of  hearers  are  found  among  the 
audiences.  This  is  certainly  very  encouraging. 

We  are  quoting  a  considerable  part  of  the  sermon 
preached  at  the  annual  conference  by  Pastor  Rudnitzky, 
a  Baptist  minister,  born  in  Russia,  on  the  subject:  “ Our 
present  duty  as  Christians  towards  the  Russian  people 
today.  ’  ’ 

‘  ‘  It  would  seem  as  if  every  human  being  were  a 
gift  to  the  _  Christian  church,  for  which  gift  the  indi¬ 
vidual  Christian  has  to  work  and  pray  and  it  does  not 
only  seem  so,  but  it  is  so,  because  every  human  being 
has  in  him  a  soul  for  which  Christ  died  and  which  he 
wants  to  redeem.  And  those  millions  of  souls  in  Russia, 
for  which  Christ  shed  his  '  blood,  need  an  intercessory 
prayer.  If  the  people  of  Russia  ever  needed  such  priestly 
intercession  it  is  now,  because  that  country  is  found  in 
an  awful  misery. 

The  misery  of  centuries  seems  at  present  to  have  con¬ 
verged  in  one  point.  It  finds  its  expression  in  material 
poverty,  but  in  the  midst  of  this  outward  destitution  the 
Russian  soul  is  fighting  and  striving  for  freedom  and 
independence,  not  merely  in  the  political  domain — that 
is  a  matter  of  smaller  interest  to  us — but  also  for  that 
freedom  and  independence,  which  is  expressed  in  such 
way  that  the  human  soul  enters  into  her  possessions,  and 
that  her  personal  rights  are  valued.  Prom  all  this  misery 
there  rises  so  strikingly  the  yearning  of  that  people  for 
God.  As  a  well  known  writer  said,  ‘  ‘  The  Russian  is 


as 


spellbound  and  dumb  as  he  is  touched  by  God,  but  he 
dies  without  finding  words  for  the  expression  of  his  ap¬ 
prehension  of  God.”  Now  will  you  not,  my  friends,  lift 
up  your  hands  to  God  asking  that  the  right  words  may 
be  given  the  soul  of  Russian  people  to  be  able  to  utter 
with  words  their  right  condition  towards  God. 

But  he  who  wants  to  work  on  a  human  soul  must  be 
borne  by  a  power,  which  is  called  love.  This  ^must  be 
remembered  by  all  who  wish  to  work  for  the  Russian  people. 
If  the  Church  will  ever  find  a  field  for  her  work  it  will 
be  in  Russia  where  love  is  not  running  any  risk  of  being 
misunderstood  or  rejected  as  it  is  often  the  case  with  us. 
Where  a  word  of  love  is  there  uttered  by  the  lips,  the 
hearts  are  then  opened  wide. 

Also  we  need  for  this  a  united  work  of  faith.  Then 
it  is  no  more  a  question  of  our  Lutheran  duty  or  our * 
duty  as  Baptists  for  Russia ,  not  of  any  denominational 
duty ,  but  of  our  duty  as  Christians  towards  Russia.  And 
that  means  that  all  Christians  in  tvhose  hearts  the  love  of 
God  is  shed  abroad,  all  who  wish  to  win  souls  for  Christ, 
must  present  a  united  front  in  this  work  in  Russia.  All 
attempts  to  establish  the  teaching  of  a  sect  and  win  pro¬ 
selytes  to  it,  have  proved  a  failure...  No,  our  duty,  in  this 
respect  is  to  have  all  believers  closely  united  in  order  to 
win  soids  for  the  Lord.  And  therefore  this  united  work 
of  faith  will  be  a  work  in  co-operation. 

In  the  souls  of  the  Russian  people  there  is  hidden  a 
treasury  of  Christian  knowledge,  and  of  a  dormant  reli¬ 
gious  instinct.  Yea,  every  individual  Russian  has  such  a 
deep  yearning  for  religion  that  he  calls  every  infidel  an 
anti-christ.  Consequently  it  is  not  advisable  to  approach 
the  people  in  the  same  way  as  a  heaathen  nation. 

Therefore  a  sound  co-operation  in  the  faith  must  be 
brought  about,  where  we  would  seek  to  help  the  believers 
in  Russia  to  bring  to  the  light  the  treasury  of  a  Christian 
consciousness,  \which  lies,  hidden  in  the  soul  of  the  Russian 
people. 

We  have  therefore  to  approach  people  not  as  lording 
over  their  faith  but  as  being  helpers  of  their  joy.  For 
such  co-opera.tion  the  Russians  will  be  as  a  rule  thankful. 
It  has  been  spoken  about  sending  out  new  workers,  about 


39 


spreading  the  knowledge  of  the  living,  all-powerful  Word 
in  Russia,  but  how  can  we  practically  obey  this  call  ? 
The  Russian  papers  often  treated  lately  of  the  Russian 
Liberty  Loan.  How  about  founding  a  Liberty  Fund  to 
acknowledge  and  strengthen  our  duty  of  love  towards 
Russia  by  offering  in  such  measure  that  the  Word  of  God 
would  indeed  Be  preached  and  would  make  the  captive 
souls  free?” 

During  eleven  months  of  this  year  beside  other  elements 
of  mission  work,  there  were  twenty  Bibles  distributd, 
1098  New  Testaments,  9,150  of  Four  Gospels,  6,933  Gospels 
and  6,080  other  parts. 

During  the  trip  of  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  through  the  East 
in  the  U.  S.  in  the  fall  of  1915  he  met  with  Pastor  Wm. 
Fetler  in  Providence,  R.  I.  They  two  considered  the 
question  of  Russia’s  Evangelization.  They  had  three  con¬ 
versations  on  that  important  subject,  first  in  Providence 
on  the  3rd  and  4th  of  Dec.,  and  then  in  Boston  on  the 
6th  of  Decemeber.  In  these  conferences  Rev.  Mortenson, 
pastor  of  the  Swedish  Congregational  Church,  also  took 
part. 

It  was  then  decided  that  they  would  unitedly  work  for 
the  Evangelization  of  Russia  in  accordance  with  the  prin¬ 
ciples  of  the  Alliance  and  on  the  ground  of  the  Unity  of 
all  Christians  in  Christ.  It  was  also  resolved  that  an  in¬ 
ternational  and  interdenominational  conference  be  called 
on  the  behalf  of  the  Evangelization  of  Russia.  This  con¬ 
ference  was  appointed  to  be  held  the  21st  of  Jan.,  1916. 
This  agreement  was  signed  by  these  three  men,  Fetler, 
Hoijer  and  Mortenson.  Hoijer  wrote  at  once  to  his  associ¬ 
ates  in  the  Russian  Mission,  who  belonged  to  different 
church  connections  and  nationalities.  On  Jan.  14th  Hoijer 
received  a  letter  saying  that  the  conference  must  be 
postponed  owing  to  unforeseen  causes  from  Mr.  Fetler ’s 
side. 

As  much  as  it  was  in  his  power  Hoijer  notified  at  once 
his  friends  of  this  circumstance,  as  those  friends  had 
been  previously  invited  to  atend  the  conference. 

The  question  of  such  international  and  interdenomina¬ 
tional  conference  had  been  also  considered  in  the  American 
Committee  meetings  of  the  Russian  Mission  especially  in 


40 


Chicago  in  June,  1916,  and  in  other  meetings  following. 
This  question  was  again  renewed  on  November  14th  by 
Rev.  Dr.  Jesse  W.  Brooks,  Superintendent  of  the  Chicago 
Tract  Society,  Rev.  N.  F.  Hoijer  and  M.  A.  de  Sherbinin. 

It  was  then  resolved  that  the  two  latter  men  write  an 
appeal  to  the  Chicago  Tract  Society  stating  the  neces¬ 
sity  for  calling  such  conference.  This  letter  was  written 
and  it  was  suggested  in  it  that  the  Chicago  Tract  Society 
and  the  American  Committee  for  the  Mission  in  Russia 
should  be  the  parties  who  extend  the  invitation  to  that 
Conference.  It  was  also  decided  that  de  Sherbinin  who 
was  about  to  leave  for  New  York,  should  visit  Pastor 
Fetler  in  Philadelphia  on  that  trip  and  inform  him  of 
the  projected  Conference,  asking  him  if  he  were  inclined 
to  take  part  in  it. 

Meanwhile  Rev.  Hoijer  went  on  a  tour  to  the  Middle 
East,  The  question  of  the  Conference  had  reached  the 
point  where  it  was  decided  to  have  a  preliminary  meeting 
on  Jan.  22,  1918,  in  Chicago,  at  which  the  date  of  the  Gen¬ 
eral  Conference  should  be  definitely  decided. 

When  Hoijer  was  in  Bratford,  Pa.,  he  received  a  tele¬ 
phone  message,  saying  that  he  had  to  leave  for  Chicago 
to  be  present  at  that  meeting.  It  was  however  impossible 
for  Rev.  Hoijer  to  be  in  Chicago.  He  telephoned  to  Rev. 
A.  T.  Frykman  in  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  and  asked  him  to 
represent  the  Committee  of  the  Pan-Russian  Evangelical 
Mission  at  the  meeting  on  the  22nd  of  Jan.,  1918. 

At  that  meeting  it  was  decided  that  the  Chicago  Tract 
Society,  Moody  Church  in  Chicago,  the  Russian  Bible  and 
Educational  Institute  and  the  American  Committee  of  the 
Pan-Russian  Evangelical  Mission  should  be  the  parties 
who  would  conjointly  extend  the  invitation  to  the  General 
Conference. 

Immediately  following  the  twenty-eighth  anniversary  of 
the  Chicago  Tract  Society,  by  arrangement  of  the  officers 
of  the  Society,  a  special  conference  for  the  Evangelization 
of  Russia’s  millions  was  called  to  meet  in  the  Society’s 
rooms  on  Tuesday,  Jan.  22nd.  This  conference  was  in 
session  from  one  o’clock  until  four.  Among  those  who 
were  present  beside  the  officers  and  missionaries  of  the 
Society  were  Rev.  A.  T.  Frykman,  of  Jamestown,  N.  Y., 


41 


representing  the  American  Committee  of  the  Pan-Russian 
Evang.  Mission,  Pastor  Wm.  Fetler,  President  of  the  Rus¬ 
sian  Bible  Institute  of  Philadelphia,  Rev.  Frank  W.  Duha, 
Pastor  of  the  John  Hus  Memorial  Methodist  Church  of 
Chicago,  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  J.  F.  Van  De  Roovaart,  of 
Bethany  Reformed  Church,  Chicago. 

At  that  meeting  a  committee  was  formed  with  Dr. 
J.  W.  Brooks  as  chairman  for  the  purpose  of  calling 
together  a  large  general  conference.  This  committee  was 
known  as  the  ‘'Executive  Committee  of  the  First  General 
Conference  for  the  Evangelization  of  Russia,”  with  its 
headquarters  in  Chicago. 

Upon  motion  of  Rev.  Frykman,  seconded  by  Mr.  Fetler, 
it  was  unanimously  resolved  that  the  conference  accept  the 
invitation  of  the  Moody  Tabernacle  to  hold  there  the 
large  conference.  Upon  motion  it  was  decided  that  the 
records  show  that  this  action  is  to  be  backed  and  supported 
by  the  following  four  organizations,  represented  in  this 
preliminary  conference : 

1)  The  Chicago  Tract  Society.  2)  The  Russian  Mis¬ 
sionary  and  Educational  Society  in  Philadelphia.  3)  The 
American  Committee  of  the  Pan-Russian  Evangelical  Mis¬ 
sion.  4)  The  Moody  Church. 

We  would  now  quote  extracts  from  a  letter  written  in 
Swedish  by  Rev.  Frykman  of  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  to  Rev. 
N.  F.  Hoijer  immediately  after  this  first  meeting  of  the 
Executive  Committee. 

“I  have  just  returned  from  Chicago,  where  I  have  been 
representing  the  Russian  Mission.  It  was  a  success  above 
all  expectation.  We  met  first  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Brooks. 
The  meeting  took  place  under  the  auspices  of  the  Chicago 
Tract  Society  immediately  after  their  Anniversary  meeting, 
that  is  the  next  day.  Dr.  Brooks  was  elected  chairman 
and  Prof,  de  Sherbinin  secretary.  A  real  Alliance  spirit 
prevailed. 

It  was  decided  to  accept  a  cordial  invitation  extended 
by  the  Moody  Church  to  hold  the  conference  in  their 
Tabernacle.  The  assistant  pastor  of  Moody  Church  partook 
in  all  our  meetings  and  showed  great  interest.  We  wrote 
a  manifesto  or  invitation  to  the  conference  and  we  resolved 
to  ask  for  the  co-operation  of  the  leading  and  best  known 


42 


Group  of  Missionaries  and  Christian  Workers  planning  for  Russian  Conference  in  Chicago  1918. 


43 


The  Rev.  Dr.  J.  W.  Brooks,  Chairman  of  the  Conference,  is  seated  in  the  centre;  to  his  right  are  Rev.  Wm.  Fetler 

and  Rev.  A.  T.  Frykman:  to  his  left  are  Prof,  and  Mrs  M.  A.  de  Sherbinin. 

These  four  men  were  members  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Conference. 


men  in  the  churches  of  North  America  by  inviting  them 
to  sign  the  Manifesto  and  publish  it  in  the  religious  papers 
of  the  U.  S.  Dr.  Trumbull,  the  Editor  of  the  Sunday 
School  Times,  took  part  also  and  assured  us  of  his  interest. 
The  time  appointed  for  the  conference  is  June  24 — 28. 

We  resolved  to  invite  among  the  speakers  Lord  Rad- 
stock  and  Dr.  Dixon,  both  from  London,  England.  If  you 
have  any  special  suggestions  to  make  you  must  at  once 
write  to  Sherbinin. 

Now,  my  clear  brother,  I  must  express  my  great  joy 
because  the  Lord  guided  me  sc  that  I  had  the  privilege 
to  take  part  in  this  important  matter.  It  may  be  the 
most  important  that  has  ever  fallen  to  my  lot.  I  am 
certainly  convinced  that  it  is  the  Lord,  who  led  the  whole 
matter  and  one  feels  it  is  so  great  to  be  allowed  to  take 
part  in  his  great  works.  I  am  also  persuaded  that  much 
good,  above  all  that  we  estimate  or  apprehend,  will 
result  from  that  conference  both  for  Russia  and  for  the 
cause  of  Christ.  I  am  doubly  pleased  that  I  could 
represent  you  there  in  a  special  way  and  I  am  glad  to 
know  that  your  faithful  and  persevering  labors  will  soon 
yield  a  splendid  and  rich  harvest  and  that  you  will  also 
soon  be  able  to  take  the  needed  and  well  deserved  rest 
in  the  midst  of  your  family  in  the  beautiful  Vermland 
(Sweden) .  ” 

We  close  the  somewhat  dry  narration  of  these  facts  with 
a  humble  hearty  appeal  to  all  our  brothers  and  sisters 
who  have  received  lasting  blessings  through  the  Gospel  of 
our  Lord,  who  are  devoted  to  his  people,  who  glory  in  his 
cross  and  whose  hearts  are  yearning  to  serve  him  by  doing 
good  to  his  poor  neglected  and  often  ignorant  people.  Do 
your  part  to  bring  the  true  Light  to  Russia’s  millions,  to 
the  Slavs  of  Eastern  Europe  and  through  them  to  the 
millions  of  heathens  who  surround  them  in  the  East. 

God  does  great  things.  But  he  uses  best  those  who  are 
humble  and  of  no  account  in  their  own  estimation.  If 
we  want  to  do  good  in  this  world  let  us  remember  that 
we  can  only  attain  the  best  results  as  a  United  Christi¬ 
anity  as  those  who  are  devoted  to  God  and  to  God’s  King¬ 
dom. 


44 


Let  ns  pray :  Thy  Kingdom  come,  and  after  so  doing 
let  us  join  in  that  beautiful  prayer  handed  down  to  us 
through  centuries  from  the  Jacobite  Liturgy  of  St.  Dio¬ 
nysius  : 

0  God  our  Father,  good  beyond  all  that  is  good,  fair 
beyond  all  that  is  fair,  in  Whom  is  calmness  and  peace ; 
do  Thou  make  up  the  dissensions  which  divide  us  from 

i 

each  other,  and  bring  us  back  into  a  unity  of  love,  which 
may  bear  some  likeness  to  Thy  sublime  nature.  Grant 
that  we  may  be  spiritually  one,  as  well  in  ourselves  as  in 
each  other,  through  that  peace  of  Thine  which  maketh 
all  things  peaceful, f  and  through  the  grace,  mercy,  and 
tenderness  of  thine  only  Son.  Amen. 


45 


Swedish  Day,  June  24th  1918,  at  the  First  General  Conference  for  the  Evangelization  of  Russia,  held.in  Moody  Tabernacle  1918. 


First  General  Conference  for  the  Evaugelization  of  Russia,  held  in  Moody  Tabernacle,  Chicago,  on  June  24th— 28th,  1918. 


I 


